Derived from the term "tomcat" for a male cat, the Tomboy is a major character archetype, and yet is also a somewhat vague concept.

A tomboy is a girl who has tastes and behaviors usually associated with boys. Because these associations are culture-dependent and tend to change, what exactly constitutes a "Tomboy" is subjective. Especially historically, any girl interested in [[HotScientist science]], [[WrenchWench mechanics]], or [[ActionGirl combat]] has been called tomboyish.

However, even where gender roles are relatively lax or fluid, choices made regarding media consumption, recreation, and fashion, remain segregated for the most part. Thus the Tomboy remains a current figure and a popular one for various reasons: A woman might chafe at how "femininity" limits her choices and find a like minded heroine [[GirlsNeedRoleModels empowering]]; boys might find a girl who [[OtakuSurrogate likes the things they do]] more relatable. Tomboys are often seen as a great way to appeal to both male and female demographics with the same characters. For still others, a love of Tomboys may have nothing to do with their opinion on gender. The audience finds (minor) transgressions of accepted roles "cute" or funny. A great deal of media takes this latter position, sometimes presenting the Tomboy as sympathetic but, in the end, immature or even troubled.

In story, justifications also vary. Some girls might just enjoy doing boyish things more. Perhaps she's [[DaddysGirl daddy's little girl]] and so wants to do things with him. A similar possibility is that she was RaisedByDudes. Maybe she has no brothers and so the father raises his daughter the way he would a son. It could be that she has no sisters but several brothers, and to be included with them she engages in boyish activities. Or maybe she is socially awkward and simply wants to go somewhere where she thinks the awkwardness will be accepted because she is a "foreign visitor" anyway.

While Tomboys are subject to {{Flanderization}}, according to which they all hate "girly things" (like [[PinkGirlBlueBoy the color pink]], dressing up, playing house, shopping), many in [[RealLife real life]] simply happen to fall outside of gender norms in a few respects; aside from these "quirks", [[{{Shorttank}} a Tomboy]] might also have "feminine" interests. Even if she doesn't, she need not have any antipathy toward those who do. Indeed [[TomboyAndGirlyGirl her best friend may be]] a GirlyGirl.

The outcome of the Tomboy's character arc tends to indicate the intended {{Aesop}}. If the Tomboy doesn't "grow out of it," or find her inner femininity, this suggests that gender and sexuality boundaries are more permeable, and that transgressing these boundaries is acceptable. If, on the other hand, a Tomboy needs to be normalized in some way, this implies that her Tomboyish appearance or traits are somehow problematic. Consequently, Tomboyish traits can serve as an exploration of gender and sexuality.

----[[index]]* '''ActionGirl:''' Physical violence and a willingness to get rough tends to be a Tomboy trait as are being good with guns or swords. However, a LadyOfWar is never a Tomboy, since her charm point is being strong ''and'' elegant in the battlefield. {{Cute Bruiser}}s often qualify -- being a Tomboy doesn't mean you can't be {{Moe}} (see {{Bokukko}}). * '''AmazonBrigade:''' Some examples of this could be [[TheTeam a team]] full of Tomboys. Check the page.* '''AmazonChaser:''' A boy who is attracted to a girl because of her tomboyish fighting ability. (Others may consider this [[NoGuyWantsAnAmazon a huge turnoff]].)* '''AmazonianBeauty:''' A girl whose tomboyish bulk is considered a key factor in her attractiveness.* '''BaldWomen:''' Having no hair ''without'' wearing a wig is a good way to identify a tomboy.* '''BifauxnenAndLadette''': Two androgynous tomboys whose masculine traits act as contrast to one another.* '''{{Bokukko}}:''' In Japan, a tomboyish girl who shows it off by refering to herself with the male versions of JapanesePronouns and JapaneseHonorifics. May lead to PronounTrouble. There is an analogous grammatical behavior among Hindi-speaking tomboys in India: they use masculine inflections on adjectives and certain verbs (e.g. ''rahaa'' vs ''rahee'') that refer to themselves as if they were male speakers. That is not as jarring as in Japanese, but it sounds peculiar.* '''BraidsOfAction, BoyishShortHair, TomboyishPonytail and TomboyishSidetails:''' Common hairstyles for them.* '''BrawnHilda''': A tomboy whose bulk, mannish looks, and strength make her unattractive. * '''ButchLesbian:''' Usually used in negative portrayals as what allowing Tomboyish behavior might lead to.* '''ContraltoOfDanger''': Tomboys are identified by having voices that are lower than other women.* '''FarmersDaughter:''' A tomboy from a rural area.* '''FemaleMisogynist''': Sometimes girls can often take their tomboyish nature too far by referring other women as sissies who should always StayInTheKitchen. * '''FemininityFailure:''' An unfeminine character who tries to be feminine but can't pull it off.* '''GamerChick:''' Girls who like video games are often considered tomboys.* '''{{Gasshole}}''': Girls who are gassy are often considered tomboys since it would be unlady-like for girls to either burp or fart.* '''GenkiGirl and IceQueen:''' Most tomboys ''socially'' experience the extreme as either one of these.* '''GirlinessUpgrade:''' When a tomboy decided to become more of a GirlyGirl. A possible result is her going back to being a tomboy if she or another character decides she's better [[JustTheWayYouAre the way she was]].* '''GirlNextDoor:''' While the girl next door is no more likely to be a Tomboy than any other character, Tomboys are very often the Girl Next Door. This might be because MostWritersAreMale and when a boy is younger the girl he is most likely to interact with will be a Tomboy (since other girls prefer doing girly things).* '''HotScientist:''' Not as common a Tomboy trait, as science is usually less physical than most Tomboy activities, but sometimes it gets included in the package.* '''TheLadette:''' Usually a Tomboy is not as sexualized as a Ladette, but the ideas do have some [[SisterTrope overlap]]. She's a girl with the personality of a frat boy.* '''LethalChef:''' [[FeminineWomenCanCook Poor cooking skills]] often are connected with Tomboys. (Which she can find frustrating when trying to invoke ThroughHisStomach.)* '''MasculineGirlFeminineBoy:''' When the [[SensitiveGuyAndManlyMan sensitive guy]] and the Tomboy pair up, [[OppositesAttract romantically or platonically]].* '''NoGuyWantsAnAmazon:''' Tomboys are sometimes portrayed as having trouble with relationships, since guys often feel intimidated by a girl who's better at doing guy stuff than they are. [[AmazonChaser Other boys might think this is awesome.]]* '''OneOfTheBoys:''' Tomboys often pal around with male friends instead of having girlfriends. They play male games (baseball instead of softball), and might even be accepted as just "one of the boys". She might be rude, and use crude or less-refined slang like a boy. She spits, bleeds, and plays in the dirt, without caring about getting dirty. She'd never say something like "I broke a nail"... unless the context is something like "Aw, ''dammit'', I broke a nail."* '''OtakuSurrogate:''' Similar to the GamerChick example, girls who like comic books are often deemed Tomboys.* '''OutdoorsyGal:''' A girl who would rather play outside than inside.* '''PassionateSportsGirl:''' A girl passionate about male oriented sports. * '''RaisedByDudes:''' A girl grew up surrounded by masculine role models (father, uncles, older brothers, etc) and becomes like them for lack of a feminine role model. * '''RealWomenDontWearDresses:''' The character doesn't necessarily have to be a tomboy, but many of the ones who fall victim to this are. FanDumb and HateDumb will accuse a female character of becoming weaker simply because she does anything feminine.* '''SheCleansUpNicely:''' If a Tomboy ever ends up stuffed into a dress this is likely to be the result. Sometimes part of a BeautifulAllAlong plot point. Can sometimes lead to an UnnecessaryMakeover.* '''ShortTank:''' A common type of Tomboy portrayed in various media.* '''SpiritedYoungLady:''' A complex variant of this. Confident high class woman who can bend The Rules without quite breaking them. Maintains a feminine mystique while often having some tomboyish characteristics and tastes.* '''TheSquadette:''' A tomboy in the military.* '''TankTopTomboy:''' When a tank top is an indicator of a tomboyish female.* '''TomboyAndGirlyGirl:''' Another way a Tomboy can be identified is through comparison to a girlier female character.* '''TomboyishBaseballCap''': A girl can be identified as a tomboy by just wearing a baseball cap, especially if she likes playing baseball.* '''TomboyishName:''' A MeaningfulName can often identify a Tomboy -- and who knows, it might even cause her to be a Tomboy. Tomboys with girly names often insist on more masculine or neutral nicknames.* '''TomboyPrincess:''' ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin. A tomboy who happens to be a royal daughter.* '''TomboyWithAGirlyStreak:''' A tomboy with possibly a girly interest or two.* '''{{Tsundere}}:''' This goes all the way back to school yard romances. A boy will often have a hard time [[CannotSpitItOut expressing his feelings]] to the girl he likes, and will instead dip her pigtails in the ink bottle, or stick frogs in her desk. When a girl acts similarly and shoves, hits, or is otherwise aggressive towards a boy who's caught her interest, she might be labeled a Tomboy. (Or in some cases, a girl who's already considered a tomboy being aggressive towards a guy will often be assumed to mean she has a crush on said guy.) The mixture of self-confidence and insecurity is also often a Tomboy trait.* '''UnkemptBeauty:''' Tomboys tend to be less obsessed with their appearance than girly girls. Sometimes, this works to their advantage.* '''[[ChildhoodFriendRomance Unlucky Childhood Friend]]''': Sadly one of the negative aspects that seems to follow tomboys in many forms of media. Usually they will either feel IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy or believe they need a GirlinessUpgrade to get the guy's attention.* '''WholesomeCrossdresser:''' Often a way of showing that a girl is a Tomboy is to write her as preferring to wear pants and other boy clothes, and being uncomfortable in dresses and skirts. This is particularly true in cultures that have decidedly different male and female dress codes. While a man dressing as a woman can be [[{{Squick}} jarring]], a woman dressing as a man [[MostWritersAreMale is often]] considered [[FetishFuel intriguing]]. But if it reaches {{Bifauxnen}} levels, then you've probably moved out of the Tomboy spectrum. Tomboys are usually identifiable as girls, even if they are wearing boy clothes.* '''WrenchWench:''' Girly Girls are usually not covered in grease.[[/index]]----Having one of these attributes doesn't necessarily make a girl a Tomboy. Depending on local norms, a girly girl may have some of these traits, and the variety of Tomboys is great enough that no one trait can be called essential.

Even "local norms" are inconsistent. Consider for example Ukyou and Akane from ''RanmaOneHalf''. Akane is repeatedly identified as a bit of a Tomboy, while Ukyou gets the label of "cute fiancÚ". Yet they both share several of the traits above. (This is probably an intentional discrepancy within the story). In the end, definition is impossible, and identifying a Tomboy comes down to "knowing it when one sees it" (though the quality of this "knowledge" is dubious).

No examples for this page, please. Put all your examples under one of the various traits associated with Tomboys. If we don't have a subtrope for your specific Tomboy please feel free to use the YKTTW to create a trope for it.

The SpearCounterpart is InTouchWithHisFeminineSide, for a male who does things which are stereotypically 'girly'.